Pressure cookers have changed how I cook; the flavors are more intense & cooking is much faster than slow braises. We have used a slow cooker (crock pot) but everything in it just seems to all taste the same. The current 3rd generation pressure cookers have multiple safety features. We started with a stovetop pressure cooker but my go-to pressure cooker is now an Instant Pot electric -- it does all the work of bringing the pot up to temperature & pressure, cooking for a preset time, & keeping the food warm, for hours if necessary. You can sauté in the pot for one-pan cooking. It has an efficient footprint & can also be used as a rice cooker, steamer, & yes a slow cooker. It was this multi-functional feature that led me to try it out for our son's first apartment in college; when he took it (4 years ago), we had to get our own! I bought us each an extra inner pot for more versatility; it is stainless steel, another feature, & it can go on the stove or oven to keep food warm while cooking another part of a meal in the IP (like rice). He's even used the extra inner pot as a mixing bowl. He has the basic LUX model while we have the DUO, which can make yogurt. I recommend the 6 quart size for most people; the Pot is also available in 5 & 8 quart/liter sizes. There's a much more expensive Smart model that has Bluetooth programmability but I don't recommend it for beginners. The DUO or new DUO Plus is what most people should get, & it's an Amazon best seller. We have given the Instant Pot multiple times for weddings, housewarmings, & to foodie friends.
If you don't have a smoker or don't want to spend the time, the Instant Pot makes a killer pulled pork using the America's Test Kitchen recipe. We use it a lot for steamed artichokes, done in 30 minutes (including coming to pressure & pressure release) vs an hour steamed conventionally on the stove. Another killer app for a pressure cooker is chicken stock -- we use carcasses from roasted (rotisserie) chicken saved in the freezer and/or wingtips, backs, & other trimmed raw parts. The stock pressure cooks for an hour rather than all day on the stove, which saves energy & the sealed pot doesn't smell up the kitchen. Other amazing uses: risotto without stirring, great hard cooked eggs that peel easily, steel-cut oatmeal ready when you wake up (thanks to the timer).